Wounds of the Flesh
by ElSapoLoco
Summary: Bella's a servant. She doesn't know where, or for whom. She doesn't even know her own last name. When Edward breaks the rules, things change drastically for both of them.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse. We're just playing with the characters.**

_Just to let you all know, this is a collaborative effort. My friend, TrapedInsideADream, is writing everything from Bella's point of view. Everything from Edward's is mine. This story takes place many years in the future._

I looked out the window, watching the rain come down with a fury I'd never seen before. My tears fell mercilessly down my cheeks, leaving small dots of color on my starched white apron. I sighed deeply and turned in the small room I was in. Three others girls shared the room with me; my silent sobbing did not even make them stir.

My friend, Jenna, a freckled red head, was close to me, closer than either of the other girls who occupied the room. Jenna worked with me in the kitchens; I cooked, she kept everything clean and ready for me to use. The only reason they kept us together was because we were such a good team; that came from years of practice. Little joy came our way in our bright confinement.

Our supervisor's name was Ethan. He was the reason for ever single ounce of pain that I had ever felt there. Ethan rules over us with an iron fist, leaving no room for arguing or disobedience. Sometimes this can be painful, especially when he's in a foul mood.

Daisy, the perky little blonde, and Tabitha, the hopeful black haired girl, were the other two girls that lived in out tightly packed confinement. They work together in the cleaning department, folding many different girls' and women's clothing. Most of us, or at least the four of us, have never met any of the people we slave away for, even though we often wonder who they might be.

Most people that work here think that this place is a giant castle filled with greedy rich people. I don't think it is, not really, but I'm not sure what else it could be. I have a feeling deep down in my gut that it's something that we would never have thought of. I have always wondered why I have to cook fifty of the exact same meals in one day (though they differ from breakfast to lunch to dinner...). The clothes we get are another puzzling conundrum. They are tattered pieces of cloth that aren't fit for humans, though I'm not surprised that they gave them to us. They enslave us here. Why should they give us anything worth money?

From the small amount of gossip we receive, I've heard that some girls work in actual shops and real restaurants. They live in the same dorms we do, but they work at a higher level. The rumors lead me to believe that there might be a mall or something somewhere in the building. That would also explain the more extensive meals I cook on certain days.

The tears streaming down my face this time came directly from Ethan. I hadn't done anything, and yet he has beaten me so hard that I started bleeding, and now it hurts to move. Tomorrow I will have to work twice as hard to avoid another beating.

I crawled quietly into my bed, wiping my tears off of my drenched face. I am Bella, I am somewhere between 15 and 18, and I am a cook in a place I don't know about. I only know that if I don't follow the rules I get hurt. I closed my eyes to slip into my only escape, sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wake up! Wake up! Bella! The warden will be here any minute now! You know how she can be if you're late! Come on!" Jenna whispered to me as she tried to shake me awake.  
"I'm up! I'm up!" I said, rolling out of my tiny cot. I mumbled my thanks to Jenna when she handed me the hair brush we all shared. I pulled the brush through my hair as quickly as I could, not even getting the knots out all the way. Looking around desperately for a few seconds, I finally found where I had thrown my hair tie last night. I slipped it into place and we were ready to go just in time.

"Get out here, girls!" The gruff and angry voice of the warden reached through the thick walls. "Time for another day of work!" Some of the girls that worked in the kitchen with us were older, some were younger. Some of them even had nicer clothes and better accommodation.  
The warden who every day ushered us to and from the kitchens was a horrible woman to look at, or hear. She was quite hefty, and she had a temper to match her weight. Despite her weight, the warden was surprisingly strong, no girl wanted to be on her bad side, no girl wanted to be whipped by her, much less Ethan. The warden's hair was long and stringy, obviously covered in grease. Her eyes were dark and beady, and set far back into her skull. Her lips were non-existent yet they still uttered the harsh words that made us cringe in fear.  
Led by the piggish women we walked, or rather marched, to the place that was the source of much of the pain and cruelty that all of us had experienced in the span of our life times. Though it was the place that had most likely seen the most tears, it was the nicest place in the entire world as far as I knew. Everything we used n the kitchens was always spotless. No grease or other stains could be found on anything because it was kept so clean. Nothing had ever had trouble working, the stove and the oven cooked things evenly so everything the kitchens produced tasted absolutely wonderful. The produce and other foods we used were also the best money could by, or so they told us.  
When we reached the kitchens the warden watched us scramble to the stations we had been assigned to. Though the kitchens were tiny, they were wonderfully easy to navigate. Once every single girl had reached their kitchens, Ethan came. With a curt nod at the warden she was dismissed, and she left, not daring to question the authority he had. With that, we were at the mercy of the devil himself. Ethan looked at us all for a brief second before he went to inspect the kitchens and the clinking of his boots could be heard throughout the room. Ethan lingered longer than I would have like at my station, staring at me skeptically.  
Ethan is a tall, lean man. His muscles are evident and quite easy to spot. From experience, I know that they are even stronger than they appear to be. He has long legs which look to be the legs of a runner. His eyes burn with a cold fire that makes you want to run and hide while at the same time they paralyze you down to your very core. Once, only once, I thought I saw a brief flash of pity run across his face. Ethan's lips are tight and thin, and frequently utter painful words. His hands are huge and can make blood flow from the skin they strike.  
After Ethan had inspected all or our stations he walked to the front of all of us to announce what we would be cooking for the day, "Today's meals will be pancakes - for breakfast. Lasagna - for lunch, hamburgers -for dinner, and, as a special treat, dinners' desert is chefs' choice. Just make sure it is delicious."  
Taking a deep breath I got to work for the day, I had to make 104 of everything instead of 54. The 100 pancakes that were for other people, not my room mates and me, were done in no time. Five pancakes to a plate with a large bowl of syrup were what the meal consisted of. When I was making the pancakes, I varied the flavors so I could stay entertained and so it might earn me some bonus points with Ethan. Whenever Ethan passed by he seemed to linger a little longer than normal, it felt like he was watching me extremely closely. I didn't know why. It had only been an hour and thirty minuets when I was finished with the 'others' portion of my pancakes. Setting aside the mix for my room's meal I moved on to the next meal.  
Lasagna was a fairly easy meal to whip up for the masses, considering the other meals that I had sometimes had to make. The lasagna required only two pieces for each plate, so, for one regular pan I would have four meals already. In a jumbo pan, which was specially made to make cooking quicker, you could cook ten meals. I made up the lasagna for the four meal regular and set it aside for when it was getting close to lunch. I used the jumbo pans, naturally, to begin with. Laying all the ingredients inside of the pans and sticking two of them in the oven was the first part of a job that only took time. The lasagna took thirty minuets to cook completely. Luckily my oven could hold up to twenty meals of lasagna. I quickly made steaming tasty pancakes and room temperature syrup up for my room mates. It was five minuets to lunch and I was ready to eat.  
From the corner of my eye I caught Ethan watching me as I went to eat my lunch with Jenna, it wasn't natural. Maybe Ethan was thinking about punishing me even more for something I hadn't even done yet, even after yesterday.Once Jenna and I really sat down, we decided that we would eat quickly so we could get ahead, and possibly even have the end part of the day off, or at least very relaxed. For the first time Jenna and I ended up being the first pair to make it back to the kitchen. It only took me about two hours to finish the lasagna. Today was moving very smoothly so far. Now it was time for the hamburgers.  
Hamburgers are a walk in the park to make and actually forming the burgers took next to no time. Each burger needed to be cooked for ten minutes on a medium-high heat, five minutes for each side. The stove could fit up to twenty burgers but I preferred to work with only ten on the stove at a time. I put together the buns for the ten burgers while they were cooking so I just had to pop them onto the plate. I cut up the toppings that I was supposed to put on the side of them. Onions, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, mustard, and ketchup all went on the side of the hamburger so you could choose what you wanted to actually put on it. In only two hours I was completely finished with the burgers and the lasagna for lunch was five minutes away from being done.  
In the few minutes before lunch I managed to mix up one or two batches of brownies and shove them into the oven. When the timer went off for the lasagna I set it out to be taken to my room mates. Jenna grabbed her plate gratefully, both of our stomachs were grumbling as we headed toward the lunch tables. We'd be done in no time, and everything else we had to do was pretty much low key. Everything was ready to whip up for our dinners and the brownies were almost done, it was just a matter of time. Jenna and I were able to take our time eating, knowing that there was absolutely no hurry. To Ethan we must have looked like we were slacking because he decided to come over and talk to us when we were the last two people at the lunch tables.  
"Bella," he said, "Why aren't you at your station?" He was looking murderous and it was directed at me. I was hoping that he wouldn't beat me again.  
"Well, sir, I only have to bake a few more brownies and, actually as we speak some are cooking..." I replied in a quiet voice while I looked at the floor, too afraid to see what his reaction was.  
"I see. Well, because you and Jenna have been doing such and excellent job today, despite yesterday's happenings, as soon as you have finished with your brownies you may treat yourselves to a bath. Another girl will take care of your room's dinner and dessert today," he said. I couldn't believe my ears. That just didn't happen! This time I was even going with Jenna, maybe Ethan wasn't so bad after all.  
"Oh, thank you, Ethan! I don't know how to thank you!" I blurted out before Jenna could beat me to it or I could stop it... Then the unthinkable happened. Ethan, the Ethan, _laughed.  
_"Keep working like this and don't complain if I ask you to do anything for me anytime in the future. Same goes for you Jenna." Both of us nodded, we were suddenly in Ethan's good graces! Jenna and I hurried back to our kitchen to finish up the brownies. It took even less time than I expected because it turned out that I could fit forty brownies in the oven at a time if I crammed everything together as tight as I dared. Once everything had been cooked I offered Jenna my help in cleaning up, but she declined it saying that it was my quick cooking that was allowing us this luxury anyway.  
While Jenna was taking care of everything we had used, Ethan decided to come and speak with me, "Bella, what do you know about this place?" he asked me.  
"Nothing besides the obvious," I replied honestly and a little timidly.  
"Bella, how would you like you living arrangements to be up-graded? You'd still work in the kitchen but you would have a better work space, you could even take Jenna with you, and you automatically get one day off every seven days. Oh, and if you agree, tomorrow will be your first day off," Ethan said most seriously.  
"You mean it?" I asked skeptically. He nodded.  
"Then of course!" I exclaimed Ethan smiled, _smiled._  
"Good, I'll get you when you're done at the bath," Ethan turned and left. Jenna would be so excited to find this out! Once Jenna got back from washing all of our supplies I broke the news to her. Jenna completely flipped.  
"No way! You can't be serious! Actual _days off_!" she squealed.  
"Yeah, I know. Why don't we get our bath now? We don't want to pass up this chance," I said. Jenna nodded in agreement and we took off down to the vacant hallways to the bathroom. Tomorrow I would get a day off.


	3. Chapter 3

_Well, here's another one. _

_Disclaimer: We still own nothing._

**BPOV**

Jenna and I made our way to our new room, excited and curious to see what it would be like. Would the beds be bigger? Would there be more girls in our room? Would they be wearing better clothes? Would some of them have the day off? We were buzzing with excitement; after all, it wasn't every day that someone gets a promotion.  
After the amazing bath that we had had, I felt fresh and clean. I couldn't stop running my fingers through my hair because it felt so silky. Jenna was doing the same. I was surprised that I could even feel this good, there is nothing like a bath to make you feel absolutely amazing. Jenna and I were also now wearing a clean version of the clothing we had worn not too long ago.  
We reached our room, excitement bubbling up inside of us, we squealed once, like the girls we are, and opened the door. It didn't creak like the one we used to have. We gasped when we saw the room. The difference between this and the room we had previously occupied was huge. I couldn't quite believe it, and neither could Jenna.  
This room had cleaner carpets, an intact lamp, a book shelf with several books on it, and beds that were double the size the ones we had had in our old room. I was thrilled to see that my bed still had my old things on it. I jumped onto my bed and just lay there, enjoying the feel of a soft mattress.  
I was just lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, when the other girls came in; they were laughing and care free and . . . happy? I wasn't used to seeing people so clearly happy before. That isn't a common sight around this place. The girls stopped laughed when the saw Jenna and I, and instead a huge smile spread across their faces.  
"So, you're the new ones?" A girl that seemed to be leader of our three new roommates said.  
"Yeah, I'm Bella and this is Jenna, who are you?" I asked, deciding that starting today I would be slightly braver.  
"I'm Melissa, this is Layla, and that is Melody," Melissa said, motioning to the other two girls that stood behind her.  
"Nice to meet all of you," I said honestly.  
"We're glad you're here," said Layla, "Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to last another day with the previous two here." Melody and Melissa shook their heads sadly and sat down on their own beds.  
"So how do you like it here? Any better then where you used to be?" Melody asked me.  
"It's much better, I can't believe the difference!" This made the girls laugh. I could tell that they had been living here for a long time, probably their whole lives. To say I was jealous was an understatement, but I was still ecstatic to be here now.  
"Hey, we're taking our day off together tomorrow, want to join us?" Melissa asked me and Jenna.  
"I would, but I think I should go to work at least one more day before spoiling myself rotten, don't you think?" I said.  
"Sure, maybe next week you'll join us? I would love to get to know you more. We should be getting to sleep, you have to get going early in the morning," Melissa said. With that, the lights went out, and I did, too. I just had to survive this week and I would be able to have a day off.

I made it through my first work week as a higher class servant with a breeze, and now it was my first day off. I was thrilled to have a day to myself. From what the other girls said it sounded like I could basically just lounge about all day.  
I woke up late, and everyone else was gone. I couldn't believe that I was actually going to be relaxing today. It blew my mind. To start my day, I decided I would like a bath. I grabbed a towel from the clothing pile and headed to the bathing room. When I got there the motherly woman that manned it stood up eagerly to help me.  
"Taking a bath today?" she asked in her gentle voice.  
"Yes, if you don't mind," I said. I was always shy of the people that had higher rank than I did.  
"I don't mind at all dearie, and, because it is your first day off, it'll be extra special," she said. I just stood there and looked at her blankly, I wasn't sure how it was possible to have an extra special bath. The bath women, as she was called by all, called me over to one of the tubs, and in it was steaming hot water, soap, bubbles, and the sweet scent of vanilla. I was in heaven.  
"Are you sure all of this is for me?" I asked her. I wasn't sure if this was actually happening.  
"Of course! Now don't dawdle, we don't want the water to get cold now, do we, dear?" She said, helping me into the tub.  
She left me to my own devices after that. I just lay there in the steaming water, letting all my troubles wash away. Eventually I scrubbed my hair and myself It was always nice to be completely clean. After I finished my wonderful bath and thanked the bath women many times over I started to roam the halls. I let my mind wander as my feet did the same. Eventually I found a room filled with comfortable looking couches and people around my age sitting around and laughing. I timidly entered the room and took a seat.  
Some of the people there were guys, which completely threw me. I had never seen a guy, besides Ethan, in my life. I was intimidated by them, but I wouldn't let them know that.  
"Hey, look here! A new girl! Hey, what's your name?" A guy at least ten times the size of me said.  
"I'm Bella. And you are?" I asked.  
"I'm Sam, and this here is Jacob, Paul, Embry, and Quil," he answered me, "Where do you work?"  
"The kitchen," I answered simply, and they let out a low whistle.  
"I heard it's really tough in there, it's one of the jobs they're pickiest about. How do you manage?" the guy named Embry asked me.  
"I honestly don't know, I guess it's just one of my natural talents. I have been doing it since I was six. " I answered.  
"Hey, Bella. Wanna ditch these other bozos and chat with me instead? I, unlike them, have a brain and am capable of intelligent conversation," Jacob said.  
I shrugged and got up; it would be easier to talk to only one of them at a time. I followed Jacob out of the lounge into another one, one that had no one else in it. Jacob took a seat, making himself comfortable. I did the same.  
"So, Bella, do you know anything about this place?" Jacob asked.  
"No, I know pretty much nothing. I'm about as clueless as they get," I responded.  
"Well, I know a thing or two. A lot of talking goes on in the heating rooms. I even know what year it is. Impressive, huh?" he said.  
"Wow. I don't know any of that stuff," I said. I really did want to know. I've been trying to figure out what this place was for longer than anyone could possibly imagine, and Jacob was telling me he knew something.  
Jacob laughed at me, but I didn't care. "Well, the year is 2133. Crazy big number, right? Oh, and I know for a fact that we work for people around the same age we are. We are slaves for other people our own age! I think that's outrageous, they live a life of ease while we're down here working our butts off every night and day. I think it's barbaric the way they make us work. Especially people like you," Jacob said. I could tell he was flirting with me, even with my limited experience, but I wanted more information.  
I talked with Jacob a while longer before heading back to my room. I was tired of being around people, and I felt like I needed a break. When I entered my room, a meal was sitting there for me, steaming hot. I smiled; having a warm meal was something I always looked forward to. I ate it quickly, demolishing it in minutes. When I finished I put it in the dirty dish slot that all dishes went into from rooms. I sat staring at the ceiling for a long while when I heard the door open . . .


	4. Chapter 4

Urban Legend

_AN- Hello! I'm back!! Here's your first chapter from Edward's point of view. Wow. Two chapters in one day. That's a new personal record. And if you count my other story, that's three. Wow. Oh, yeah. Review this one and read my other story, __Unexpected Change of Plans._

_Disclaimer: not mine._

**EPOV**

Today was going to be a slow day. The classes they put me in at this new school are nothing like my last ones. At the last school, the only reason I skipped class was because of the students. My classes were actually fun, but at this new place I could have not been there and it wouldn't have mattered. However, skipping could get you expelled. If you were caught.

Because of the subject matter, I wasn't going to any class today. Instead, I was going to explore more of this new school. No one (out of the students, at least,) knew how it worked, and I intended to find out. There was a door close to where we got our food that I sometimes saw the wardens going into. It was locked, but that shouldn't be a problem. The lock-picking kit my sister, Alice, got me for my birthday should be more than enough to open it. I just have to make sure no one's around when I go for it.

Finally, after grabbing my bag which I had stowed all the necessaries for sneaking around in, I exited my room. I have lucked out so far in the fact that I have no roommate. I'm sure the next one to come in will be put with me, though. The whitewashed hallways were nearly empty, with only a few stragglers heading to their morning classes. Once they got there they would receive a firm scolding and a few points marked off of their daily score.

I quickly made my way through the bright building, checking around each corner for a teacher or warden. None yet. There. Right in front of me was a rather inconspicuous door, painted the same color as the walls to detract attention. Pulling out the tools I needed, I went to work. After a few short minutes, there was a soft click and the door swung inwards. There were footsteps coming towards me, which I could hear down the hall, so I quickly stepped in and closed the door behind me. Making sure that I locked it again, I turned to look at where I was.

It wasn't much different from the place I had just left, except that it was smaller and not as well maintained. Every ten feet or so there was a door which seemed to be unlocked. The hallway was completely empty. I knew that it couldn't be student dorms, because we all had locks for privacy and numbers on our doors. This was something else.

From some rooms I could hear the low murmur of voices, but most of them were quiet. I decided that, since I didn't know what this was, I would go into one that was quiet. That way I hopefully wouldn't get in trouble for skipping classes and being somewhere I shouldn't be.

Picking one at random, I took a deep breath and turned the handle. At first I thought there was no one in the room, but then a girl, looking to be about my own age, sat up. Thinking quickly, I decided that she probably wouldn't call for someone if she hadn't already. "Who are you?" I whispered, not trusting my own voice.

"I'm Bella," she answered, standing up. "Who are you, and how did you get down here?"

The instant she stood up, I could tell how beautiful she was. Her beauty took my breath away and it took me a moment to compose myself enough to answer her questions. "I- my name is Edward. I was just skipping classes and decided to see what was behind that door, and you were here, and…" I would have kept going if I had had any idea what to say.

"Classes? What do you mean? Do you know where we are?" she asked, suddenly glowing at the prospect of news.

"Of course. We're in West Boarding School. It's one of the many schools where parents send their children if they don't want to deal with them. This is the third school I've been to in as many years, but none of us know what's outside. Or inside, for that matter…" I didn't realize I had gotten my speech back until I was almost done talking, and I slowly trailed off.

"What do you mean, you don't know what's inside?" she asked, slowly sitting back on the bed. I chose one across the room from her and took a seat.

"Well, I had no idea you were here. You're not a student, obviously, so who are you?" I was puzzled at what her purpose here was; she couldn't be the only one, not with this many beds and this many rooms.

"From what I can tell, I work to make your school run. I work in the kitchens, but I know others who clean and others who do other odd jobs. None of us know who we are or why we're here." Bella became slightly impassioned as she spoke, making me wonder how horrible her life had been.

"Do you know anything about who you are? How old you are? Where you're from? Who your parents are?" Suddenly it was becoming clear. None of us knew how the school was run, we just knew that our food was cooked, laundry done, and classrooms cleaned. I hadn't even stopped to think about how that was happening.

"I don't know any of that stuff. My life is a mystery to me. I don't even know what it's like outside these halls and the kitchen. That's where I've been for as long as I can remember. It's never been any different." She was looking hopeful now, as if I could save her from her life. And I knew I would, if I could. I knew nothing about this girl, but I was already madly in love with her.

Outside, I heard footsteps, which reminded me that I was somewhere that I shouldn't be. "Bella, I have to go. I could get in trouble. Is there anywhere we could meet in secret?"

She thought for a moment. "On my days off, we can meet here, but otherwise we'll have to meet in the cleaning supply closet. It's just down the hall. Are you really going to come back?" she asked with a smile of hope.

"Yes, I'll be back," I whispered, knowing I would come if it killed me.


	5. AN

Hello, all.

Sorry 'bout the delay. However, I am not going to continue this or any other Twilight fanfics that I am writing. Breaking Dawn was a huge disappointment, and I have decided to work more on my original pieces.

I believe that this story will be continued by TrapedInsideADream, but I have to ask her. As far as Unespected Change of Plans goes, let me know if you want it. I will still beta for anyone who wants me to, but I will no longer post my own stories.

Adios,

ElSapoLoco


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